Program Manager, Industry Engagement and Sustainability & Policy

The Program Manager plays a pivotal role in driving strategic alignment and operational excellence across the Industry Engagement and Sustainability & Policy departments. Reporting to two Senior Vice Presidents, this position serves as a key connector, facilitating cross-functional collaboration, tracking progress on strategic initiatives and objective and key results (OKRs), and ensuring effective execution of high-impact programs. The Program Manager also leads and supports special projects that advance organizational priorities, contributing to innovation, member value, and continuous improvement across the association.

Responsibilities:

• Lead cross-departmental coordination by facilitating collaboration between Industry Engagement, Sustainability, and Policy teams to ensure alignment on strategic goals and initiatives.
• Support strategic planning and execution by tracking progress on departmental OKRs, identifying risks, and proactively recommending solutions to maintain momentum and accountability.
• Serve as a key liaison between senior leadership and internal/external stakeholders, ensuring timely, professional, and effective communication that reflects the association’s priorities and values.
• Drive operational excellence by identifying opportunities for process improvement, streamlining workflows, and implementing best practices that enhance team efficiency and impact.
• Manage and support special projects from initiation through completion, including planning, stakeholder coordination, milestone tracking, and reporting on outcomes.
• Facilitate internal meetings by preparing agendas, capturing key decisions and action items, and ensuring follow-through to advance organizational priorities.
• Oversee program logistics and execution, including scheduling, calendar management, meeting preparation, and follow-up to ensure seamless coordination and delivery of strategic initiatives.
• Champion member engagement by supporting communications, responding to inquiries, and ensuring a high-quality experience for association members and partners.
• Maintain organized documentation and knowledge management systems to support continuity, collaboration, and institutional memory across departments.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent work experience.
• A minimum of 2 years of experience in a related position such as administrative support, project coordination, stakeholder communications, or operations; association or plastics industry preferred.
• Experience supporting senior leaders, managing calendars and meetings, coordinating cross-functional initiatives, maintaining organized documentation, and contributing to process improvements is preferred.
• Experience with project management or collaboration tools (e.g., Asana, Trello, SharePoint).
• Experience with or willingness to learn about the plastics industry, industry engagement, sustainability or policy.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Effective written and verbal communication skills with diverse stakeholder audiences.
• Self-motivated with attention to detail, problem-solving, organizational, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to prioritize and work on a variety of projects, adjust to changing priorities, meet deadlines, and deliver results.
• Ability to work autonomously and collectively to build consensus.
• Ability to provide customer service to internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion when handling sensitive information. An earnest work ethic and dedication to collective success of the organization in service of our membership.
• A commitment to promoting and working in an inclusive and diverse environment with a variety of colleagues from multiple backgrounds.
• Demonstrate a commitment to embody and uphold PLASTICS’ core values of ethics, unity, impact, optimism, and innovation in all interactions and responsibilities.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Ability to travel (<10%).

Salary Range: $58,000 - $73,000/annually

About PLASTICS

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) is a purpose-driven organization here to support the entire plastics supply chain. We are proud to represent the nearly one million people who are employed by companies in the plastics supply chain in the United States. PLASTICS is a dynamic organization with an ambitious team, striving for growth and success. Together we shape the direction of the entire plastics industry and as a job requirement, have some fun while doing so. Employees have the opportunity to learn, develop, and impact both the industry and our association. We also encourage volunteerism. As a team we seek opportunities to improve the communities in which we work and visit, including organizing riverbank clean-ups.

We offer generous benefits including health, dental, vision, life insurance, well-being, a 401(k) plan with employer contributions, competitive salaries, and work from home flexibility. We work hard, we play hard, and we value a work-life balance! In fact, we offer unlimited paid time off, and employees take personal time off at their own discretion.

PLASTICS is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, sex, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, protected veteran status, or any factor prohibited by applicable law.